Dzhalil F. Khabibulin

Solid-state NMR for characterization of vanadium-containing systems

Abstract This overview paper includes both published and original data of the current state of the field of 51 V NMR in solid-state chemistry. Advantages and shortcomings of different NMR techniques in their applications to vanadium are discussed on the examples of their application to various vanadia based systems (including individual highly crystalline compounds, solid solutions, glasses, catalysts). New correlations between local structure of vanadium atoms and NMR parameters allowing to discriminate at least seven different types of vanadium sites (tetrahedral sites of Q0, Q1 and Q2 types; trigonal pyramids of 3=1 and 3=2 (V2O5 like) types; tetragonal pyramids of 4=1, 4=2 types) are proposed. It is demonstrated that competent combination of different NMR approaches permits now not only to describe different vanadium sites in highly crystalline and amorphous materials, but also to insight into the structural aspects of disorder in crystallinity as well as to reveal the behavior of different functional groups at elevated temperatures. The influence of low valence vanadium atoms on 51 V NMR spectra is also discussed.

Multinuclear NMR study of silica fiberglass modified with zirconia.

Silica fiberglass textiles are emerging as uniquely suited supports in catalysis, which offer unprecedented flexibility in designing advanced catalytic systems for chemical and auto industries. During manufacturing fiberglass materials are often modified with additives of various nature to improve glass properties. Glass network formers, such as zirconia and alumina, are known to provide the glass fibers with higher strength and to slow down undesirable devitrification processes. In this work multinuclear (1)H, (23)Na, (29)Si, and (91)Zr NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the effect of zirconia on the molecular-level fiberglass structure. (29)Si NMR results help in understanding why zirconia-modified fiberglass is more stable towards devitrification comparing with pure silica glass. Internal void spaces formed in zirconia-silica glass fibers after acidic leaching correlate with sodium and water distributions in the starting bulk glass as probed by (23)Na and (1)H NMR. These voids spaces are important for stabilization of catalytically active species in the supported catalysts. Potentials of high-field (91)Zr NMR spectroscopy to study zirconia-containing glasses and similarly disordered systems are illustrated.

Structure of С@Al2O by multinuclear solid-state NMR spectroscopy

The 27Al, 1H MAS NMR method is used to study initial nanosized metastable aluminum oxides of a pseudoboehmite series (γ- and δ-Al2O3) after being coated with graphene (С@Al2O3) and annealed in the air (С@Al2O3-Т). It is demonstrated that aluminum nanoparticles coated with graphene and annealed at high temperatures (to 750°C for γ and 1180°C for δ) preserve their phase composition but differ from initial oxides by a very low concentration of defects (ОН groups). After the annealing of the graphene coating the hydroxyl cover of oxides is reduced, however, the set of ОН groups differs greatly from that of the initial oxides. Only one type of terminal ОН groups with a ~0.2 ppm shift and one type of bridging μ2-ОН groups with a 1.8 ppm shift for γ-Al2O3 from OH-μ2-AlVAln and 2.1 ppm for δ-Al2O3 OH-μ2-AlIVAln are observed. The data obtained make it possible to characterize in detail the δ-Al2O3 pure phase.

Surface Hydroxyl OH Defects of η-Al2O3 and χ-Al2O3 by Solid State NMR, XRD, and DFT Calculations

Abstract For the first time, the detailed structure of χ-Al2O3 and η-Al2O3 surface has been established by implementing the NMR crystallography approach. The surface of η-Al2O3 has been demonstrated to be formed primarily by the (111) facets, while the χ-Al2O3 surface is a combination of (111) and (110) facets. This observation supports the block model of aluminum oxides previously proposed by Tsybulya and Kryukova [S. V. Tsybulya, G. N. Kryukova, Phys. Rev. B 77 (2008) 024112.]. The additional terminal OH groups, observed experimentally and not contributing to (111) and (110) theoretical calculations, are considered to be bonded to the tetrahedral aluminum sites. Their origin is related to the junctions of crystallographic faces of spinel building blocks, being a part of discussed model. Higher content of these terminal OH groups in χ-Al2O3 is a result of more junctions in the case of its more mosaic structure compared to η-Al2O3.